Wisconsin mammals

Thirteen-lined ground squirrel in Wisconsin

Ictidomys tridecemlineatus

Native to Wisconsin S5 Secure in Wisconsin

Not listed as nonindigenous in Wisconsin by USGS NAS; native to its Wisconsin range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Thirteen-lined ground squirrel crouched beside short grassThirteen-lined ground squirrel standing upright in prairie grassThirteen-lined ground squirrel rising from green lawn grassThirteen-lined ground squirrel peering from a burrow entranceThirteen-lined ground squirrel close portrait in dry grass
Photo: sofi v · CC-BYThirteen-lined ground squirrel crouched beside short grassPhoto: carterdorscht · CC0Thirteen-lined ground squirrel standing upright in prairie grassPhoto: Lauren McLaurin · CC-BYThirteen-lined ground squirrel rising from green lawn grassPhoto: Millie Basden · CC-BYThirteen-lined ground squirrel peering from a burrow entrancePhoto: Sean Frey · CC-BYThirteen-lined ground squirrel close portrait in dry grass

Thirteen-lined ground squirrel in Wisconsin, by the numbers

Common in Wisconsin 13th most recorded of 75 mammals logged in Wisconsin

1,042 occurrence records
1,033 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 11, 2026 Last seen in Wisconsin

Records from 2000–2026.

1,042 total records count every Wisconsin occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300; the monthly chart covers the 992 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Thirteen-lined ground squirrel in Wisconsin

Most sightings fall in May to July.

992 Wisconsin occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Wisconsin records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February0
March7
April99
May202
June219
July242
August129
September69
October21
November2
December2

Monthly thirteen-lined ground squirrel occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Wisconsin, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Wisconsin, with recorded sightings peaking in May–July.

Occurrence map

Where Thirteen-lined ground squirrel has been recorded in Wisconsin

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

300 Wisconsin records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit 18
Crex Meadows Wildlife Area 18
Willow River State Park 11
Wyalusing State Park 8
Northern Highland State Forest 7
Aztalan State Park 7
Horicon Wildlife Area 7
Governor Nelson State Park 4

Protected places with the most thirteen-lined ground squirrel sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in Wisconsin

CountyRecords
Dane County 186
Juneau County 66
Waukesha County 61
Portage County 48
Dodge County 40
Sauk County 36
Burnett County 34
St. Croix County 33
Trempealeau County 28
Columbia County 27
La Crosse County 21
Jefferson County 21
51 other counties 441

The complete county distribution, spread across 63 Wisconsin counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Wisconsin records concentrate around the open ground at Necedah, Horicon, and Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuges and in Door County. Those locations share short grass, sandy or well-drained soil, roadsides, and managed openings suitable for burrows; records peak from May through August, the visible above-ground season between hibernation periods.

The 1,033 iNaturalist records are not a count of animals. Refuges, lawns, and trail margins make this small squirrel easy to photograph, while cultivated or private grasslands may be underreported, so records describe detection rather than relative abundance.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Thirteen-lined ground squirrel crouched beside short grass
Full species profile Thirteen-lined ground squirrel Ictidomys tridecemlineatus Size 17–30 cm6.7–11.8 in Weight 173 g6.1 oz Lifespan Up to 7.9 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Wisconsin in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"